6 months ago I decided to get a dog. I knew what I was getting myself into, and I understand that a dog is a huge responsibility. I told myself I'd never give up on her, especially since my parents would gave away a couple dogs we've had. It was highly upsetting to me and the dogs, and I couldn't imagine doing it to her. I would like to know how vet students with dogs (preferably active) are able to balance taking care of their dog and go to vet school. The college I really want to attend is Ohio State University. If I get accepted within the next 4-5 years, she'll be 5-7 years old by then. Just for reference, I've been looking at apartments that allow pets, there's a doggie daycare/hotel nearby and a low cost animal hospital. So far, it doesn't seem too bad. I get $500 out of my mom's fund every month while I'm in school, so my plan is to use the $500 monthly for daycare, boarding, food, etc. for her. I think having a dog is doable, but I want to hear from students who are currently living it. How do you balance it?
With difficulty. When I began vet school in 2014, I brought one dog with me (a senior Greyhound). The summer of my first year, I adopted a second- a mixed-breed hound, one of my school's teaching animals. Managing dogs in school was doable during the pre-clinical years. I am a student who attended class every day, without fail (I'd have to be on death's door to miss a lecture). Lectures/labs ran anywhere from 6 to 8 hours per day. Following class, I'd return home and care for my dogs. I spent the majority of my evenings studying at home, in the company of my dogs. Dogs become very difficult to manage when it comes to off-site externships throughout vet school, and clinical responsibilities in senior year. The summer of my second year, I completed a 3 month off-site externship in Michigan- that's several states away from North Carolina. I live on my own, family is several states away, and my friends have their own problems when it comes to pets. I brought my two dogs with me to Michigan for the summer. This was difficult, as I needed to find a pet-friendly apartment close to my externship location that offered month-to-month rent. I looked for housing far in advance, and ended up taking over the lease of an individual who was vacating her apartment around the time I needed to move in. It was unfurnished, and I slept on a camping cot for the duration of my three month stay. It worked out, but wasn't ideal.
In October of last year (3rd year of school), my Greyhound passed away. I now have a single dog to manage, but fourth year has been rough. Student responsibilities vary tremendously between services. Some are notorious for very rough hours (internal medicine, surgery, emergency, etc.). You'll work full days, and remain in the clinic for on-call responsibilities. Last night, I worked a 17 hour day. You're simply not permitted to 'head home' for a lunch break. NCSU has a very nice feature- on-site day boarding for faculty, staff, and students in the school's Health and Wellness Center (GP service). I utilize this feature heavily during difficult blocks. As it's on site, I can quickly head over to boarding to let my dog out and feed him (briefly). At the end of my shift, I pick him up. Travel to off-site externships is also rough. I traveled across the country (Seattle, WA and Portland, OR) as well as up the eastern seaboard (MA and CT) for my externships. For the East Coast trips, I brought my dog with me (stayed at my Mom's place while in MA [upcoming], rented a pet-friendly AirBnB for another). For the west coast, the time commitment simply didn't allow me to bring my dog. I flew to Seattle (as opposed to driving to my other locations) out of Boston, and left my dog in the care of my Mom for the 6 weeks I was on the West Coast. Again, not ideal. My Mom was a saint for helping me out (she has three cats), and I hated to burden her, but there simply wasn't any other way. I would recommend NOT relying on your friends to care for your animals for weeks on end. They will have their own responsibilities, with their own rotations, and their own pets. Pet care will be on your shoulders while you're in school.
My dogs were/are well house-trained, and did fine with my normal routine of classwork during my pre-clinical years (I didn't have a dog walker or day care service). I got a nice discount on feed via NCSU's Purina feeding program. Medically, yes, I had some major expenses. My hound ended up chewing on a sheet while I was in Michigan (my first week on-site) and ended up obstructing- that was a $3,000 surgery. My Greyhound ended up developing lymphangiectasia in his twilight months, and a significant financial investment was made in diagnostics to confirm the source of his GI problems.
Dogs are wonderful. I wouldn't trade either of mine for the world. However, there is quite a bit of sacrifice involved in keeping them- in vet school, or otherwise. The major factors I suggest you consider are:
-How will I manage my day to day responsibilities with a dog during the classroom years? Is the dog a puppy/geriatric?
-The big one- how will I handle my fourth year clinical/on-call/travel responsibilities?
-Do I have contingency funds if there is a medical emergency?
Hope this is helpful. Having dogs in vet school was a lot of work (and expense, and planning), but it was worth it. I wouldn't trade my guys
You're smart to think ahead.
P.S. One of my current block-mates just adopted a puppy (during clinical year) and is regretting her choice of timing.
